Charles Dazey

Who was Charles Dazey?

Charles Turner Dazey was an American writer and playwright.

He was born in Lima, Illinois attended the state university in Lexington, Kentucky, and graduated from Harvard in 1881. He edited The Harvard Advocate and was elected poet of his class. While at college his poems were published in The Century Magazine. His comedietta Rustication was produced at the Boston Museum while he was a sophomore.

In 1892 Dazey wrote the libretto for War-Time Wedding, music by Oscar Weil of San Francisco, produced by The Bostonians with Henry Barnabee and Alice Nielsen. He wrote several plays for Kate Putnam, American King for James O'Neill and The Little Maverick for Maggie Mitchell. His greatest success, In Old Kentucky, was written for Jacob Litt. For over twenty-six years it had uninterrupted production in America. After writing for Broadway, he wrote for film including Manhattan Madness for Douglas Fairbanks, The Mysterious Client for Mrs. Vernon Castle and Shifting Sands for Gloria Swanson.

He was a member of the Lambs Club in New York. He married the actress Lucy Harding and died 9 February 1938 in Quincy, Illinois. He donated the land used to build Dazey, North Dakota, which was named in his honor.